Three moves the Cardinals could have made last offseason to prevent this disaster

Here we are again rehashing the disaster that was the 2023 Cardinals season. There's no way around the fact that the 2023 season was a complete and utter failure on so many levels.

The most frustrating aspect about all of this is that it was so preventable. The Cardinals front office shouldn't be surprised by this. There were plenty of opportunities for them to add pitching and fortify the starting rotation, yet they were all passed up.

Now, we're left waiting for them to have their end-of-season press conference and admit their mistakes, and that press conference has already been postponed. However, there would be no need to admit failure if pitching was added.

Again, this is what is most frustrating about the whole fiasco is how easily it could have been avoided. But the Cardinals were too set in their ways to spend the money necessary or trade the necessary prospects to add starting pitching.

Somehow, some way, they were satisfied with a starting rotation that featured Miles Mikolas, Jordan Montgomery, an oft-injured Steven Matz, a worn-down Adam Wainwright, and an inconsistent Jack Flaherty.

There were starters aplenty available on the trade and free agent markets, starters that were also quite affordable. But St. Louis passed on all of them, and a 71-91 season which sank them to last place in the NL Central was the result of such a failure.

In this piece, we will discuss three moves the Cardinals could have and should have made to prevent this disaster.

1. Sign Nathan Eovaldi

In the end, it was smart to pass on Jacob deGrom and Carlos Rodon, as they both dealt with injury-plagued seasons. Justin Verlander would have been a good fit, but there was another option available that could have really helped the Cardinals.

Nathan Eovaldi was signed by the Rangers to a two-year, $34 million deal, and he certainly didn't disappoint in his first year in Texas. He was limited to 25 starts this year due to a forearm strain, but his stats were still quite impressive. He won 12 games and posted a 3.63 ERA.

Eovaldi also has great postseason experience, which was on display in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Orioles when he pitched seven innings and struck out seven batters while allowing just one run. Eovaldi is the kind of pitcher that could have really transformed this rotation.

While he isn't necessarily an ace, he was affordable, and he's someone that a team can trust in a big game with the season on the line. Instead, the Cardinals passed and let Eovaldi sign in Texas. Eovaldi and The Rangers are now headed to the ALCS for the first time since 2011. Two years and $34 million was well within the Cardinals' so-called "price range."

3. Let Adam Wainwright walk/retire

I think all of us are elated that Adam Wainwright got his 200th win. He deserved it. He's pitched for a long time and has been one of the greatest players to ever wear the Birds on the Bat. But his collapse in September last year raised concerns.

Wainwright's velocity dipped dramatically, and he ultimately did not pitch in the Wild Card Series against the Phillies. The Cardinals committed $17.5 million to him, only for him to go 5-11 with an ERA of 7.40 and land on the injured list twice.

It would have been smarter for the Cardinals to not invest in bringing him back and instead look to acquire better and younger starters. Cardinals fans will always love Wainwright and appreciate what he did for the organization and the St. Louis community. That will never go unnoticed. He truly is a great human being with a big heart.

But bringing him back ultimately stopped the Cardinals from going out and adding more starting pitchers. As a result, the rotation faltered, and the Cardinals now find themselves on the outside looking in instead of competing for a championship.